Viagra Skin Cancer Diagnosis

The law offices of Schmidt & Clark, LLP, are reviewing potential lawsuits for men who developed skin cancer after taking the erectile dysfunction (ED) drug Viagra (generic: sildenafil citrate). A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine determined that Viagra use was linked to an increased risk for melanoma, a disease that makes up the majority of skin cancer deaths in the U.S. This article discusses how melanoma is diagnosed, and how the condition can be recognized in its early stages.

Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one was diagnosed with skin cancer after taking Viagra, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer of Viagra and we can help.

How is Melanoma Skin Cancer Diagnosed?

An early symptom of Viagra skin cancer is a new, suspicious looking mole on your skin. Fortunately, there is little cause for alarm, since most skin blemishes are not melanoma, but a diagnosis should still be performed to be sure. To determine if the mole is malignant (cancerous) or not, a doctor will ask the patient about their personal medical history in order to evaluate their personal risk factors, including the family’s history of skin cancer and the number of prior sunburns. Next, a skin exam will be performed, during which the doctor will note the size, shape, color and texture of the mole. He or she will then look at the patient’s lymph glands to check for swelling, a known symptom of cancer.

Biopsy

The only way to conclusively diagnose Viagra skin cancer is to biopsy suspicious-looking moles. Important information, such as tumor depth, can only be determined through a biopsy. Biopsy methods may include the following:

Shave biopsy – Thin, sharp blade is used to shave off the tumor. This is the most common type of biopsy when the doctor suspects the presence of melanoma.

Punch biopsy – Sharp, hollow tool is used to remove a circle of tissue from the tumor or lesion.

Incisional biopsy – Doctor uses a scalpel to take out part of the abnormal growth.

Excisional biopsy – Entire tumor and surrounding tissues are extracted with a scalpel. Excisional biopsies are the procedure of choice when a doctor suspects skin cancer. However, depending on the size or location of the growth, this procedure may not always be possible.

Staging

If the biopsy finds that a patient has skin cancer, the next step is determine the extent (stage) of the disease to plan treatment effectively. The stage of melanoma is based on the following 3 factors:

Size of the tumor

How deeply it has grown into the skin

Whether it has migrated to other regions of the body

The stages of Viagra skin cancer are as follows:

Stage 0 – Disease only found in the top layer of skin. At this point, it is referred to as melanoma in situ

Do I Have a Viagra Skin Cancer Lawsuit?

The Pharmaceutical Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Viagra Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new melanoma skin cancer cases in all 50 states.

Free Confidential Case Evaluation: Again, if you developed melanoma from Viagra, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit and we can help.